Page 61 of Cursed
One pair of rings caught Evan’s eye right away. He tried to make himself look at all the choices, but he kept coming back to the same set.
“Can we please see those?” Seth asked, and Evan’s head jerked up as Seth indicated the same rings. Evan hadn’t pointed or indicated which ones had gotten his attention. He smiled, taking their mutual liking as a positive omen.
“Good choice,” Amber told them. She took the rings from the case and offered a magnifying glass for a closer look.
“They’re solid silver, low maintenance, and the inside is blank in case you want to add an inscription of your own now or later,” she added.
Evan recognized the sigils carved into the silver, ancient runes for physical safety and protection from dark energies. They intertwined among the script spelling out part of an old Wiccan blessing.
“Only love may enter here,” Evan murmured as he read the words. He looked up to meet Seth’s eyes, asking an unspoken question.
“You like these?” Seth asked, with a smile that suggested he had also chosen the rings.
“I think they’re perfect,” Evan replied. He looked to Amber. “But we’re just visiting Savannah, so I’m not sure what to do if they’re not the right size.”
“Let’s see how they fit,” she suggested. “They say the rings choose the person as much as vice versa.”
Seth reached for the smaller of the two rings and took Evan’s hand. “This looks like the right size. We might get lucky.” He eased it onto Evan’s right ring finger. When they actually had the wedding ceremony, they had agreed to switch the ring to the left hand, so he tried it there as well.
“It fits,” Evan said and felt a shiver of energy. He took the larger ring and slipped it onto Seth’s finger, checking on both hands.
“Feels right.” Seth twisted the ring. “Not too tight or loose. Just right.”
Amber checked the fit and nodded. “Maybe it’s magic. Those must be meant to be yours. You can take them with you, cash and carry, since they don’t need adjusting.” She named a price, and Evan was relieved that it was within their budget.
“Are these the ones you want?” Seth met Evan’s eyes. “We haven’t looked for long.”
Evan smiled. “I think they’re perfect. Can’t you feel it?”
Seth grinned. “Yes, but I didn’t want to pressure you. I like them too.” He turned to Amber. “We’ll take them.”
“Blessed be.” She looked happy but not surprised. “Come to the register, and I’ll ring you up. Do you want them boxed or do you want to wear them?”
Seth looked at Evan. “What would you prefer?”
Evan couldn’t hide his happiness. “I never want to take them off.”
Seth chuckled and looked at Amber. “Well, there you have it. We’ll wear them.”
They paid for the rings, and Amber gave them a bag with two ring boxes and a card. “These rings have been blessed by a local witch. Nothing guarantees full protection or good luck, but we believe that every bit of positive energy helps. You can alwayscharge that up with additional blessings whenever you feel the need, or add engravings inside later. Congratulations.”
They thanked her and headed back outside. Evan felt happy and at peace. A glance at Seth suggested his partner felt much the same.
“Thank you,” Evan said. Since they were in public, he bumped shoulders with Seth rather than grabbing his hand, but vowed to do much more once they were alone.
“Thank you too,” Seth replied. “You said yes.”
Now that their quest for the perfect ring was over, the rest of the afternoon passed quickly.
“I got us dinner reservations at a place that also has a lot of real pirate history stuff,” Evan told him. “If I’d have known it was going to be our engagement dinner, I could have picked somewhere fancier.”
“All fancy dinners are the same,” Seth replied. “How often do you get to eat with pirates?”
“Do you still want to do the drag show? We’ll be back at the RV pretty early afterward, but I can cancel if you want me to,” Evan asked.
“Nah, let’s do the show. We both know what’s on the menu when we get back, so that just builds…anticipation,” Seth said with a naughty wink that went right to Evan’s groin.
The Sea Witch felt more like a museum that served dinner than a restaurant with antique decor. Old drawings, maps, and ship models filled the space, managing to look historic instead of tacky. Evan shivered at the old ship’s wheel over the fireplace, although he knew that Vernon’s anchor had been destroyed.
